The packs will contain a simplified letter and an opt-out form, which the DoH says will make it easier for patients to make a choice about whether to have a SCR or not.

The DoH said practices will still be able to veto uploads to the SCR if they feel that patients have not been adequately informed about SCR.

Dr Peter Short, national clinical GP lead for informatics, said the SCR is will be offered to patients and not enforced.

He added: ‘Connecting for Health, RCGP and BMA agree that if a practice feels that patients have not been ‘appropriately’ informed they can decide not to upload to the SCR.

‘If practices are not happy, CfH will do what it can to offer support locally.’

Meanwhile, Charles Gutteridge, the DoH’s national clinical director for informatics, said around six million SCRs have been created for patients in England, but he said coverage was ‘variable’ across the country.

He said: ‘In ‘a half dozen’ of PCT areas the number of patients with SCR coverage is about 60 per cent. Most places have around 10 to 20 per cent coverage, while one or two areas have almost none.’

Mr Gutteridge said he hoped all patients in England will have been offered the option to opt-in to the SCR by the end of 2013.